It doesn’t have to be like this, according to Anders Persson, professor and director of the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV) at Linköping University. Together with colleagues, he has developed a method for fast, accurate diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.
“We know how these diseases can be predicted in a way that forgoes unnecessary examination and allows more people to survive. Finding those who need treatment, and also knowing exactly what kind of treatment they need, in time – that is our vision. This will prevent a lot of suffering and save lots of money”, says Anders Persson.
Using a new type of CT scanner, a picture of a single heartbeat is taken, with a low dose of radiation and very high resolution. The collected image information is then further processed in fast computers, where blood flow can be simulated and quantified using artificial intelligence, among other things. Together with the patient’s genetic material and data from the world’s most comprehensive survey of heart disease patients, this may in the future provide the necessary information for assessing a patient’s acute condition, and effectively predicting future risks.
“The benefit to patients from our research is enormous! But the research is expensive. It’s crucial that we get help from more people wanting to join the fight against the most common cause of death”, says Anders Persson.